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Sometimes a Balanced Diet Is a Cookie In Each Hand!

OK, so if peanut butter cookies are made with peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies are made with oatmeal, what are Girl Scout cookies made of?

Yes, we know, old joke. But it has seemed that consumers always had a reasonable handle (and expectation) about what ingredients ended up in a Thin Mint or a Shortbread cookie or in Caramel DeLites (aka “Samoas”), which are sold door-to-door, on tables in malls by the Girl Scouts, and in offices across America by parents of Girl Scouts. And if you thought you did, you’re going to be surprised at their newest offering – Mango Crèmes.

The new cookie contains, along with mango-flavored crème, ingredients like pomegranate, grape, and even shitake mushrooms. They’re reported to be 180 calories a serving (that’s 3 cookies for those of you trying to keep your New Year’s resolutions about losing weight) but now, each serving now comes with “NutriFusion,” a food additive that adds 15% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin B-1, and 5% of the suggested intakes for Vitamins A, C, D, E and B6 (for those of you trying to keep your New Year’s resolution about eating healthier). According to ABC (part of Interbake Foods, which has a division entirely devoted to Girl Scout cookies, by the way), this new offering provides “all the nutrient benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes, and strawberries,” with no trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives.

About 220 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies get sold every year, producing an estimated income around $700 million, which by pack or profit seems like an awful lot of cookies. Surprised? Considering U.S. eating habits, we don’t expect it’s any coincidence that it turns out the word “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts.” Just a thought.

Anyway, in addition to helping raise money for their organization, you could say the cookie sales help to fulfill part of the Girl Scout promise. The one that promises “to help people at all times.”

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